IPL Auction 2023 : Players likely to be released by the Franchises

In the midst of the on-going T20 World cup in Australia, BCCI has asked all the IPL franchises to submit the list of players they want to release during the IPL auction 2023. In this article, Sportzcraazy will put forward the list of players from 5 franchises that are unlikely to be retained for IPL 2023 for a number of reasons which we will discuss in brief. 

Delhi Capitals – Shardul Thakur, Mandeep Singh and KS Bharat

The Delhi Capitals management is reportedly keen on off-loading Shardul Thakur, Mandeep Singh and KS Bharat. The trio was brought into the side in the same auction and their records suggest that they had an underwhelming season with the IPL outfit. Thakur was sold to the Capitals for a whopping 10.75 Crores, which was the joint 5th highest bid for any player at the mega auction last year. His performance for CSK in 2021 saw him pick up 21 wickets, which lured Delhi to bring him on-board. However, Thakur managed to remove only 15 batsmen with a disappointing economy rate of 9.8 run per over. Delhi management might look to bring him back for a lower price during the auction. Meanwhile, Mandeep Singh and KS Bharat remained on the bench for most of the season as the former was featured in only 3 games and scored just 18 runs. Bharat on the other hand was the back up keeper for the Capitals side and found himself in the starting eleven when Prithvi Shaw was ill. The duo’s output did not meet the expectations of the owners and are likely to be released.

Sunrisers Hyderabad – Sean Abott and Romario Shepherd

The 2016 IPL Champions have had a rough time in the tournament since winning their second IPL title. They handed the captaincy over to Kane Williamson last year and released the pocket-size dynamite David Warner. The South-Indian outfit are reportedly looking to release Australian pacer Sean Abott and West Indies quickie Romario Shepherd. Abott was brought into the side for 2.6 crores last year and played only one match – picking one wicket and went for 47 runs in his quota of 4 overs. The Sunrisers banked a lot of money and expectations on Romario Shepherd during the mega auctions last year as he was sold for 7.75 crores. However, he also remained on the sidelines for most of the season and played only 3 matches. Shepherd had a poor economy rate of 10.98 and conceded 94 runs with only 3 wickets to his name. Sunrisers are left with only 0.15 crores during this auction and they can off load Abott as well as Shepherd to increase their respective purse. 

Punjab Kings – Shahrukh Khan and Odean Smith 

The North-Indian outfit, Punjab Kings have the highest purse from last season with 3.45 Crores. They are most likely in line to release Indian batter Shahrukh Khan and West Indies bowler Odean Smith. Both the players were bought in for good amount of money but did not deliver according to their price tag. Shahrukh’s come up was talked about a lot thanks to his performances in the Domestic circuit and he was sold for 9 crores but in 8 innings he managed to add only 117 runs for Punjab. Meanwhile, Odean Smith came into the Kings’ squad after he was sold to them for 6 crores and much like Shahrukh he had an underwhelming season with the team. Odean bowled a total of 15 overs in 6 matches with an high economy rate of 11.78 and managed to notch only 6 wickets.

Gujarat Titans – Jason Roy, Jayant Yadav, Vijay Shankar and Varun Aaron

Gujarat Titans won the IPL title in the very first season of their introduction in the mega T20 tournament. Jason Roy pulled himself out of the IPL due to personal reasons and the Titans management will most likely release the explosive English batter to increase the purse. Vijay Shankar failed to impress the Titans management despite being bought for 1.4 crores. He scored just 19 runs in 4 innings and bowled just 9 balls going for 15 runs. Shankar remained on the bench due to his poor form and he might be on the release list for Titans. Varun Aaron is a veteran of IPL and has played in almost every season since 2011 for various franchises like Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals. His 2014 and 2017 season is capped as the best year for him as he picked 14 wickets in 2014 and 7 wickets in 2017. However, the pacer could not break into the Titans playing eleven as he played only 2 matches bowling 30 balls and picked only 2 wickets. Lastly, Jayant Yadav did not play a single match in the season and he was bought for 1.7 crores thus the owners could release him to uplift the status of the purse. 

Lucknow Super Giants – Manish Pandey and Ankit Rajpoot

Manish Pandey and Ankit Rajpoot are most likely to be released during the auction in December. Pandey has a lot of experience in the IPL as he has played for a number of franchises like Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Pune Warriors India. However, Manish Pandey had a comparatively poor season as he scored 88 runs in 6 matches with a strike rate of 110. Pandey came into the team after Lucknow paid a sum of 4.60 crores but due to his average he will be on the release sheet. Meanwhile, Ankit Rajpoot introduced himself as one of the brightest prospect in his debut season with Punjab but last season he remained on the bench and did not play a single match. 

Also Read – All the IPL franchises asked to present list of retained players by November 15